Infinitely Losing My Edge
Yeah, I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
The kids are coming up from behind.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids from Nigeria and from Salvador.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Josef K show in Edinburgh.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids whose footsteps I hear when they get on the decks.
I'm losing my edge to the internet seekers who can tell me every member of every good group from 1961 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Paris and Houston.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta kids in little jackets and borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered nineties.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
I can hear the footsteps every night on the decks.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers started up his first band.
I told him, "Don't do it that way. You'll never make a dime."
I was there.
I was the first guy playing Jesper Dahlback to the rock kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
Everybody thought I was crazy.
We all know.
I was there.
I was there.
I've never been wrong.
But I'm losing my edge to better-looking people with better ideas and more talent.
And they're actually really, really nice.
I'm losing my edge.
I heard you have a compilation of every good song ever done by anybody.
Every great song by the Fania All-Stars. All the underground hits.
All Archie Shepp tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Jandek record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Barrington Levy record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Fortunes,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
The Angels of Light,
Eurythmics,
The Cramps,
Nik Kershaw,
Yazoo,
Idris Muhammad,
Gong,
The Walker Brothers,
Mark Hollis,
Chris & Cosey,
Throbbing Gristle,
Marshall Jefferson,
Quantec,
Agent Orange,
The Monochrome Set,
Groovy Waters,
Spandau Ballet,
The Move,
Black Pus,
Joyce Sims,
Anakelly,
Lalann,
Pole,
Youth Brigade,
Outsiders,
Basic Channel,
Pulsallama,
Glambeats Corp.,
Camberwell Now,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Au Pairs,
The Shadows of Knight,
Aural Exciters,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Black Moon,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
The Raincoats,
Scan 7,
Amon Düül II,
Ossler,
Moss Icon,
Big Daddy Kane,
Rapeman,
Magma,
Slave,
Agitation Free,
Lucky Dragons,
Robert Wyatt,
Nirvana,
Electric Light Orchestra,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Symarip,
Ohio Players,
Delon & Dalcan,
Cabaret Voltaire,
X-Ray Spex,
Althea and Donna,
Joey Negro,
Fluxion,
The Star Department, The Star Department, The Star Department, The Star Department.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.